Guard News - The National Guard

Battle Group Poland conducts rapid response exercise
September 24, 2019 — BEMOWO PISKIE, Poland – NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Poland and Polish 15 Mechanized Brigade completed another iteration of the multinational rapid response exercise, Bull Run 10, Sep... MORE

An M1 Abrams tank in the field at dawn during the Bull Run 10 exercise in Orzysz, Poland, Sept. 19, 2019.

Flying Yankees welcome honorary 'Pilot for a Day'
September 24, 2019 — EAST GRANBY, Conn. – Sporting a youth-sized flight suit complete with a custom embroidered name patch, 10-year-old Jadiel Aponte became the newest honorary pilot in the 103rd Airlift Wing's annual... MORE

Jadiel Aponte, 103rd Airlift Wing honorary Pilot for a Day, breathes through an oxygen mask at the 103rd Operations Group aircrew flight equipment section during the 103rd Airlift Wing’s annual Pilot for a Day event at Bradley Air National Guard Base, East Granby, Conn. Sept. 19, 2019. The program puts the wing in partnership with local hospitals to identify a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness and bring them on base to meet members of the wing and learn about its mission. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Steven Tucker)

PRNG activated due to Tropical Storm Karen
September 23, 2019 — SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The Puerto Rico National Guard was activated statewide Monday due to the impending passage of Tropical Storm Karen and is prepared to support the government of Puerto Rico, the... MORE

Puerto Rico National Guard members check and fuel military vehicles and electrical generators and replenish water distribution trucks on Aug. 27, 2019, in preparation to respond to Hurricane Dorian.

North Carolina Air National Guard on lifesaving mission
September 23, 2019 — CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The North Carolina Air National Guard's 145th Airlift Wing and 156th Airlift Squadron are putting C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to work in their mission of helping to transport... MORE

The C-17 Aircrew from the 145th Airlift Wing in Charlotte North Carolina participate in the Aeromedical Evacuation Patient Distribution Channel; a mission that is constantly in force moving patients, and casualties of war inflicted wounds, in need of transport from one medical facility to another across the world, while at Andrews Air Force Base, Sept 2, 2019.

Alaska Army Guard evacuates two men for medical care
September 23, 2019 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Aircrew with the Alaska Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, evacuated two men in Haines Sunday for emergency medical care. A... MORE

Alaska National Guardsmen launch from Bryant Army Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, via a 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with two pararescuemen from the 212th Rescue Squadron, 176th Wing, and an Army critical care flight paramedic from Detachment 2, Golf Company, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 104th Regiment, on board to conduct continued search-and-rescue operations for a missing aircraft in the vicinity of Rainy Pass, March 12, 2019.

30th ABCT conducts Combined Arms Live-Fire Exercise
September 23, 2019 — FORT BLISS, Texas – "It demonstrates the firepower, precision, and lethality of an Armored Brigade Combat Team," said U.S. Army Col. Robert Bumgardner, commander, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team,... MORE

U.S. Soldiers with Delta Troop, 1-150th Cavalry Regiment, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina Army National Guard, conduct a Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise (CALFX) near Fort Bliss, Texas, Sept. 20, 2019. The unit is mobilized to support Operation Spartan Shield in the Middle East with units from the North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Ohio Army National Guard.

POW MIA Recognition Day - One MANG Soldier's Story
September 20, 2019 — HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – In 2003, Sgt. 1st Class Jessica Biggins was deploying with the 1058th Transportation Company in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She knew from family stories that... MORE

Sergeant 1st Class Jessica Biggins presents her grandfather Clifford Benoit with an Army Service Uniform (ASU) jacket representing his 33 years in service. Benoit is a veteran of the Korean War, during which he was a POW for three years.

1st Lt. Vivian Roberts: Only Georgia National Guard WWI POW
September 20, 2019 — MACON, Ga. – One hundred years ago, the only Georgia Guardsman held as a POW during World War I began his long journey home to Macon from a prison hospital in Germany. 1st Lt. Vivian Roberts was... MORE

Vivian Roberts, the only Georgia Guardsman POW during World War I, in his American Legion uniform. Roberts was shot in the leg and captured by German soldiers in France in 1918. After the war, he served as clerk of Bibb County Superior Court in Georgia.

'Pilot for a Day' at the 179th Airlift Wing
September 19, 2019 — MANSFIELD, Ohio – The 164th Airlift Squadron collaborated to make 6-year-old Ayden Houston honorary "Pilot for a Day" at the 179th Airlift Wing Sept. 15. Ayden, who has been battling a variety of... MORE

Ayden Houston, 6, walks with aircrew to the flight line after being named honorary "Pilot for a Day" Sept. 15, 2019, at the 179th Airlift Wing, Mansfield, Ohio. The 164th Airlift Squadron collaborated with A Special Wish Foundation of Cleveland to provide Ayden with the unique experience. He has been battling a variety of health issues since birth.

Washington Air Guard, Royal Thai Air Force strengthen ties
September 19, 2019 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – Since officially becoming partners in 2002, airmen from the Royal Thai Air Force and Washington Air National Guard have built a solid relationship based on professionalism and... MORE

From left to right: Air Marshal Tarin Punsri, Royal Thai Air Force; Maj. Gen. Brian Killough, U.S. Air Force-Pacific Deputy Commander; and Brig. Gen. Jeremy Horn, assistant adjutant general, Washington Air National Guard, sign an agreement between units after the sixth Airmen-to-Airmen talks Aug. 28, 2019, at Camp Murray, Wash.

Gowen Field firefighters learn perils of flashover
September 19, 2019 — BOISE, Idaho – Firefighters from Gowen Field participated in a unique flashover-training course Sept. 11-13 at Gowen Field.Almost 30 firefighters from the Gowen Field Fire Department and four from the... MORE

Staff Sgt. Jack Simonds, a firefighter with the Gowen Field Fire Department, instructs a fellow Gowen Field firefighter how to recognize the signs of flashover during training in a specialized mobile burn trailer, Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho, Sept. 13, 2019.

Employers get firsthand look at NY Army National Guard training
September 18, 2019 — CAMP SMITH, N.Y. – Employers from Long Island and the Albany, N.Y., area crammed a four-day training weekend into one day during an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve "boss lift" to the New... MORE

Jerry Anthis, a service manager for Sinclair Fuel on Long Island, gets hints about the M-4 carbine from New York Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Fredrick Goldacker during a "boss lift" at Camp Smith Training Site in Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019.

Joint school enhances emergency response rescue capabilities
September 18, 2019 — COLUMBIA, S.C. – In the middle of hurricane season, a unique team of civilian firefighters and Army National Guard helicopter crews work together to hone rescue skills at a school called HART Academy... MORE

The Helicopter Aquatic Rescue (HART) Academy hosts its first joint training at the South Carolina Fire Academy in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 12-16, 2019. The academy is a joint training initiative by South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas between the National Guard and civilian agencies, implementing complex scenarios to ensure seamless response during real-world emergencies.

South Carolina Guard leads Eager Lion in Jordan
September 17, 2019 — AMMAN, Jordan – U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers with the South Carolina National Guard worked as the Combined Forces Headquarters (CFHQ) in the Higher Control (HICON) in Amman, Jordan, in support of... MORE

About 50 Soldiers with the South Carolina National Guard worked as the Combined Force Headquarters (CFHQ) in the Higher Control (HICON) in support of Eager Lion in Amman, Jordan, August and September 2019.

Michigan Guardsman decorated posthumously for organ donation
September 17, 2019 — CAMP GRAYLING, Mich. – The Michigan National Guard posthumously recognized Staff Sgt. Justin Skaggs' legacy of selflessness by presenting his family with the Michigan National Guard Lifesaving Medal... MORE

Michigan National Guard Staff Sgt. Justin Skaggs, a Soldier with the 1225th Support Battalion, Detroit, Mich., died after a motorcycle accident May 23. His decision to be an organ donor saved several lives.

Training reinforces Bosnia-Herzegovina partnership
September 17, 2019 — TUZLA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – On a rainy afternoon, a speck appears on the horizon over the not-so-distant mountains surrounding the city of Tuzla, whose name translates as “place of salt.” Before... MORE

Members of a combined joint media information center team photograph a U.S. Air Force joint terminal attack controller training an Armed Forces of Bosni-Herzegovina service member in JTAC operations Sept. 11, 2019, at Tuzla International Airport, BiH during the Silver Arrow training event.

Soldiers train how to exit an overturned vehicle
September 16, 2019 — FORT BLISS, Texas – To an outsider, it looks like an indoor amusement park, with people strapped into a car that flips and turns, with an attendant at the controls. But, to Soldiers getting ready to... MORE

U.S. Soldiers in Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, train at Fort Bliss, Texas, September 13, 2019, how to safely exit a military vehicle after becoming disoriented in the case of an accident or rollover.

Army Guard EOD Soldier disarms life’s challenges
September 16, 2019 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Father. Husband. Community volunteer. Yale Student. Army National Guard member. Army Staff Sgt. William Eisenhart, the explosive ordnance disposal operations noncommissioned officer... MORE

Army Staff Sgt. William Eisenhart, the explosive ordnance disposal operations noncommissioned officer in charge with the Army National Guard's operations directorate, stands in front of the Herbert R. Temple Jr. Army National Guard Readiness Center, Arlington Hall Station, Aug. 19, 2019.

Guard members teach lifesaving care to Qatari soldiers
September 13, 2019 — DOHA, Qatar – Medical experts from the West Virginia and New Jersey National Guards trained Qatari soldiers how to care for the wounded Sept. 8-12. Guard members from the two states spent a week at... MORE

A New Jersey Army National Guard Soldier discusses a Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) scenario with members of the Qatari Emiri Land Forces (QELF) Sept. 8 -12, 2019, at the Qatar Emiri Land Force Artillery School in Al Rayyan Municipality, Qatar.

Kentucky Air Guard member received Air Force Cross
September 13, 2019 — LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A special operations Airman from the Kentucky Air National Guard Friday received the nation's second-highest medal for combat valor for his actions on an Afghanistan battlefield... MORE

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein (left) pins the Air Force Cross to the uniform of Tech. Sgt. Daniel Keller, a combat controller in the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky, Aug.13, 2019. Keller earned the award — second only to the Medal of Honor — for valor on the battlefield in Afghanistan.

Puerto Rico Air Guard Conducts Deployment for Training at Aviano

Alaska Air Guard 168th Medical Group Trains for High-Stakes Missions

Civic Leaders Fly With Alaska Air Guard During Red Flag Alaska 25-2

Washington Army Guard Trains in Water Bucket Operations

Alaska Army Guard Rescues Family Stranded on River During Storm